NPCA's Park Advocate » restorationhttp://parkadvocate.org
News and views of the National Parks Conservation AssociationTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:23:52 +0000en-UShourly1The Elwha River, Undammed at Lasthttp://parkadvocate.org/the-elwha-river-undammed-at-last/
http://parkadvocate.org/the-elwha-river-undammed-at-last/#commentsThu, 25 Sep 2014 16:16:17 +0000http://parkadvocate.org/?p=7273There’s plenty I could say about my recent rafting trip down the newly restored Elwha River, but sometimes a simple “Wooohoooo!” says it all. That was my natural reaction to more than a decade of work by NPCA and its partners to remove two antiquated dams from this spectacular northwestern river, restoring it to a […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/the-elwha-river-undammed-at-last/feed/4Bringing Down the Damshttp://parkadvocate.org/bringing-down-the-dams/
http://parkadvocate.org/bringing-down-the-dams/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 17:50:59 +0000http://parkadvocate.org/?p=6913People talk about overcoming obstacles, but when advocates literally move tons of concrete to help their local river and its wildlife, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase. This summer, the landscapes of two mighty rivers in the Chesapeake watershed will experience an awakening. Several organizations are working together to remove two dams—the […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/bringing-down-the-dams/feed/0Meet 9 Endangered National Park Animalshttp://parkadvocate.org/its-endangered-species-day-meet-9-endangered-national-park-animals/
http://parkadvocate.org/its-endangered-species-day-meet-9-endangered-national-park-animals/#commentsFri, 16 May 2014 12:27:25 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=5645The news is grim for many threatened plants and animals struggling to adapt to habitat loss, changing climate patterns, development, and other dangers. Fortunately, national parks provide habitat for many species with fewer and fewer places to go. National parks have also been the settings for success stories putting previously endangered animals on the road […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/its-endangered-species-day-meet-9-endangered-national-park-animals/feed/0Got Milkweed? Crowdfunding Creates a Butterfly Effect for National Parkshttp://parkadvocate.org/got-milkweed-crowdsourcing-creates-a-butterfly-effect-for-national-parks/
http://parkadvocate.org/got-milkweed-crowdsourcing-creates-a-butterfly-effect-for-national-parks/#commentsThu, 15 May 2014 13:42:57 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=5621Late last month, 30 middle-school students in Queens, New York, planted 200 new milkweed plants at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to provide habitat for one of America’s best-known insects, the monarch butterfly. Almost as remarkable as the improvements a few dozen students could make in just one day was how they got there in […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/got-milkweed-crowdsourcing-creates-a-butterfly-effect-for-national-parks/feed/0Trivia Challenge: Name This “Crooked River” Parkhttp://parkadvocate.org/trivia-challenge-name-this-crooked-river-park/
http://parkadvocate.org/trivia-challenge-name-this-crooked-river-park/#commentsTue, 29 Apr 2014 17:40:47 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=5348Q: Decades before this Midwestern site officially became a national park, the severe pollution in its river outraged and embarrassed the country, helping to spur the creation of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Earth Day. The park’s name—which is also the river’s name—is the Mohawk word meaning “crooked river.” Can you […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/trivia-challenge-name-this-crooked-river-park/feed/2Partners and Progress: Bringing 1863 Back to Life at Gettysburghttp://parkadvocate.org/partners-and-progress-bringing-1863-back-to-life-at-gettysburg/
http://parkadvocate.org/partners-and-progress-bringing-1863-back-to-life-at-gettysburg/#commentsMon, 07 Apr 2014 13:09:39 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=5149Twenty years ago, a 307-foot-high observation tower loomed over the historic battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Utility lines laced the sky, Civil War-era artillery carriages rusted in the fields, and the “Home, Sweet Home” motel welcomed overnight guests on the fields of Pickett’s Charge. Visitors crammed the park visitor center and parking lots on the heights […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/partners-and-progress-bringing-1863-back-to-life-at-gettysburg/feed/0Reconnecting a Desert Town with Its River: Improved Tourist Attractions at Arizona’s Yuma Crossinghttp://parkadvocate.org/reconnecting-a-desert-town-with-its-river-improved-tourist-attractions-at-arizonas-yuma-crossing/
http://parkadvocate.org/reconnecting-a-desert-town-with-its-river-improved-tourist-attractions-at-arizonas-yuma-crossing/#commentsThu, 27 Mar 2014 14:55:42 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=5105Situated in the corner of the Southwest where Arizona, California, and Mexico converge, the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (YCNHA) has literally been shaped by the Colorado River. Two granite outcroppings narrowed the river at Yuma, allowing safe passage on what was once a wild and uncontrollable waterway. Some 60,000 people passed through Yuma during […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/reconnecting-a-desert-town-with-its-river-improved-tourist-attractions-at-arizonas-yuma-crossing/feed/0Clean Water Is the Solution, Not the Problemhttp://parkadvocate.org/clean-water-is-the-solution-not-the-problem/
http://parkadvocate.org/clean-water-is-the-solution-not-the-problem/#commentsWed, 19 Feb 2014 14:07:40 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=4903Everyone has a right to clean water. Recently, 21 states—many located hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from the Chesapeake—joined the Farm Bureau in efforts to derail the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, a plan for restoring clean water in Chesapeake streams and rivers that went into effect last year. Why? Because elected officials […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/clean-water-is-the-solution-not-the-problem/feed/06 Reasons to Act Today for Clean Air in Arizonahttp://parkadvocate.org/6-reasons-to-act-today-for-clean-air-in-arizona/
http://parkadvocate.org/6-reasons-to-act-today-for-clean-air-in-arizona/#commentsThu, 02 Jan 2014 13:50:40 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=4589It’s no secret that reducing air pollution creates a host of benefits for human health and the environment. But what does it mean in real terms when a coal plant cleans up its act and spews fewer particulates into the air? It’s not just a theoretical question for communities surrounding the Navajo Generating Station in […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/6-reasons-to-act-today-for-clean-air-in-arizona/feed/1Restoring Resiliency at Dyke Marshhttp://parkadvocate.org/restoring-resiliency-at-dyke-marsh/
http://parkadvocate.org/restoring-resiliency-at-dyke-marsh/#commentsWed, 11 Dec 2013 14:18:52 +0000http://www.parkadvocate.org/?p=4494A year ago, Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast, demonstrating once again the power of nature. It left behind $65 billion in damage affecting 24 states and 70 national parks. Sandy’s fury was also a reminder of the power of nature’s ecological services, including the ability of wetlands, beaches, underwater grasses, and other natural assets […]]]>http://parkadvocate.org/restoring-resiliency-at-dyke-marsh/feed/1